I hope this conference, planned for the end of January, will become an annual training event for our community.

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I will be sharing here some of the information that I plan to present at the upcoming conference about childhood trauma and its relationship to suicidality. In our community, we have children who are abused in all the ways children are hurt, neglected and sexually exploited by adults. We also have children exposed to domestic violence, parental substance abuse and sudden and shocking losses of family members. We have children who have lost parents because of divorce, incarceration, military deployment, mental illness and more recently because of financial setbacks.

Children who suffer an accumulation of these traumatic events are at greater risk. The Center for Disease Control conducted a major study of the long-term effects of trauma a few years ago. The stunning conclusion was that multiple childhood traumatic events predicted both mental and physical health problems and significantly raised the risk of suicide attempts across the lifespan.

Current data finds 80 percent of teen suicide attempts are directly related to a traumatic event. Adult suicidal crises are related to their childhood trauma in 67 percent of the cases, signifying trauma effects linger and continue to threaten its victims’ well-being for a lifetime.

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What is a community to do? MMH and MISD have taken the lead by providing opportunities for diagnosis, treatment and education. I encourage members of the community to take note of these efforts and join the efforts to protect and nurture the children of Midland. How do we do this?

Get educated

Learn more about what trauma is and why we should be concerned about it. Trauma affects the child’s brain growth, not just their emotions. A “brain on trauma” is vigilant, meaning the brain becomes increasingly distractible, with problems concentrating on tasks, for fear danger will overtake if it indulges in relaxation.

Cultivate trauma sensitivity

Become “trauma sensitive” with the children in your life. Many bad behaviors in children are trauma-related, so ask questions of those close to you, and exercise patience with children you don’t know well. Every tantrum has a back story, and it often doesn’t involve brattiness or lax parenting.

Protect children

Whether they are your own children or children entrusted to you, keep them safe. Provide stability, structure, predictability, affection and safety for the children in your home. Children in your care should be treated as you want yours to be treated. A simple rule is the golden rule.

For educators

Know that trauma affects learning, concentration, academic performance and attendance, and that it is the cause of many discipline problems. Teachers, if a student discloses trauma, seek assistance from the counseling staff. Administrators, take time to get the whole story, including what is going on behind the scenes in a student’s home. Clerical, food service, maintenance staff members, bus drivers all need to be trauma-sensitive. Trauma sensitivity helps prevent suicide in students. Educators are often in the best position to identify children at risk; it is an honor and a profound responsibility.

Medical professionals

You already know that people seek medical care when suffering emotionally. People don’t feel good when bad things happen to them, and medical help is their first attempt to get relief from pain. Screening for traumatic events can help clarify whether a referral can help the patient with mental health issues. Perhaps less well-known among medical professionals is that development can be delayed in very traumatized children. Pediatricians and family practice professionals, take note and when in doubt, refer.

Parenting after trauma

Because this job is so complex, I often refer to it as “professional parenting.” There is a reason our foster and adopting parents are required to have extensive training. Unfortunately, this is not available to all parents struggling to help children overcome adversity. Seek support, help, find a community of people in similar situations. Don’t ever quit learning, trying, advocating and persisting in love. Suicide is often preventable. Suicidality is predictable with childhood trauma. Suicidal feelings are treatable. Identifying trauma in children is an important first step in identification and intervention. We are all first-responders. We are all part of the treatment team. We are the Midland community.

Dr. Barbara Rila can be reached at the Behavioral Outlook Center, 207 Tradewinds, Suite 100, Midland, 79706, or at 432-289-7235.